New Jersey mourns Esiyah Dixon-Waheed, pageant queen, HBCU alumna, killed in Missouri drunk-driving crash

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The Camden, New Jersey community is mourning 26-year-old Esiyah Dixon-Waheed, who died July 24 in Missouri after an alleged drunk driver struck the vehicle she was in head-on during a church retreat.

Esiyah Dixon-Waheed: A. Life of Purpose and Promise

Dixon-Waheed is being remembered as a vibrant and multitalented young woman. She graduated from Camden’s Creative Arts High School and earned a criminal justice degree from HBCU Wiley University in Texas. There, she sang in the A Cappella Choir and contributed to the Freedom Film Project. Her talents extended beyond music. She was dancer actor, former pageant queen, choreographer, tutor, and vocal coach.

After college, she taught middle school in Texas and later worked as a juvenile detention officer in Minnesota. Her mother, Mahasin Waheed-Parker, shared that Esiyah had recently expressed a desire to return to Camden to launch a nonprofit aimed at uplifting her hometown.

“She was the daughter every mother would want,” Waheed-Parker said. “She had a meaning. And this man just took all of that away from me”.

The Crash and Legal Fallout

According to Missouri authorities 61-year-old William Strausbaugh was driving a Chevrolet Suburban the wrong way on a highway near Hannibal, Missouri, when he struck the vehicle carrying Dixon-Waheed head-on. Strausbaugh, who has prior DWI convictions and was driving on a revoked license, faces multiple felony charges, including causing death while intoxicated. He pleaded not guilty, and authorities are holding him without bond.

Community remembers Esiyah Dixon-Waheed

In response to the tragedy the Camden community marched through the Parkside neighborhood to honor Dixon-Waheed and raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving. Community activist Ronsha Dickerson led the march, declaring, “We march for her,” as supporters rallied around the grieving Waheed family.

“She was a living angel walking on this earth,” said cousin Lakiba Hall. “Anywhere she could help, she did”.

GoFundMe Campaign for Funeral Expenses

To help cover funeral and burial costs and overall support, the Waheed and Dixon families launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Help Lay Esiyah Dixon-Waheed to Rest”.

“Her voice was not merely for singing; it was a ministry,” wrote organizer Musa Waheed. “If Esiyah has ever touched your life, please help us bring our girl home”.

Loved ones laid Dixon-Waheed to rest Saturday.